The Black Prince Parts One and Two

Transcript:

Note, this includes both Part One and Part Two (download linked).

Edward the Black Prince Part One:

This week I’m going to give all the spoilers, but it’s history and we should already know them, you may think you’ve missed the first part a few times, but bare with me, to make a narrative of the Black Princes life I need to get a lot of smaller points out of the way first. Edward the Black Prince, oldest son of Edward III of England, died on the 8th of June 1376. His death would put an end, at least temporarily, to his father’s ambition in France. While many Plantagenets would see half of France as their birthright, a king, in this case Richard of Bordeaux, in his minority is not the best option to lead an invading army. Edward III’s dream was paused when his grandson, Richard II and not his eldest son, the Black Prince succeeded him. This elder king dying a year later and leaving a minority in place, leading to the loss of continental gains will be seen again in just 45 years with the early death of Henry V. That story will be coming. Two child kings, both seemingly mentally unwell when they reached their majority leading to internal political conflict in such a short time is an easy parallel to draw. 

Sadly for the Black Prince and his father, their plans would end with a groan. The Black Prince died of an unknown illness, possibly dysentery, leaving behind a nine year old son, Richard of Bordeaux, a grieving widow, and a brokenhearted father. His death was mourned in his own country, in his Duchy, and even in France. A little more than a year later, on the 16th of July 1377, less than a month after the death of Edward III, his grandson would be crowned Richard II,. This would be the first time in Anglo-Norman history that a king would succeed his grandfather. The last opportunity was in 1199 when Richard I died, according to modern succession rules his nephew, Arthur of Brittany, the surviving son of his next oldest brother, Geoffrey II Duke of Brittany, should have been crowned, but his youngest brother, John was crowned in England. By the way the Brittany mentioned here is the same as the one involved in the War of Bretton Succession. With the help of his mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine, John was able to defeat Arthur in a siege and take Arthur and his sister prisoner. Allowing John to take control (for the moment) of his territorial possessions. Arthur was later brutally murdered on his uncle’s orders and his sister was imprisoned for the rest of her life. Richard was a much luckier heir than Arthur, his uncles were actually very attached to the memory of they older brother and did nothing to stand in the way of his ascension. It’s too bad Richard never grew to become the man his father was, but his uncles weren’t nearly as at fault for his eventual downfall as John was for the death of his nephew. But this isn’t Richard’s story, though he will be featured in every one of his uncle’s episodes, so let’s get stuck into his father.

The Black Prince was born on the 15th of June 1330 to Edward III and Philippa of Hainault. His birth, coming not long after his great-uncle, Edmund of Kent’s, execution provided the impetus for Edward III to overthrow Isabella of France, his mother, and Roger Mortimer’s regency and take control of his kingdom. Edward III was only 17 at the time and probably worried for the safety of his small (for the moment) family. Roger Mortimer was executed on the 29th of November 1330 and Isabella of France was placed under house arrest. The group of friends that helped Edward with this coup would be his closest friends for the rest of their lives and will feature heavily in his special episode. 

Because father and son (and grandfather) share the same given name I will use regnal number to identify the Edwards who were kings and Edward the Black Prince will usually be the Black Prince. This soubriquet is an interesting historical note and I feel it’s important to cover, during his lifetime he was known as Edward of Woodstock, the palace he had been born in, this is a theme with the children of Edward III. After his death he was often known as Edward IV until the crowning of Edward IV in 1461. The Black Prince soubriquet wasn’t used until the 16th century, first by John Leland, but probably made permanent by Shakespeares use of it in Henry V. There are three theories to where it came from referenced regularly in pop-history posts. Only two have ever been considered seriously by academics and I fully agree with one of these. The pop-history suggestion for his nickname is that he was black, as in a highly melanated, dark-skinned man. The evidence for this is minimal and comes from a description of his mother, or aunt, from the description provided by Walter de Stapledon, the Bishop of Exter, as follows:

‘The lady whom we saw has not uncomely hair, betwixt blue-black and brown... Her face narrows between the eyes and its lower part is more narrow than her forehead. Her eyes are blackish-brown and deep. Her nose is fairly smooth and even, save that it is somewhat broad at the tip and flattened, and yet it is no snub-nose... Her lips are full, especially the lower lip... Her lower teeth project a little beyond the upper; yet this is but little seen... All her body is well set and unmaimed; and nought is amiss so far as a man may see. Moreover, she is brown of skin all over, much like her father.’

Now, I do not know if Philippa of Haunailt or her father were black, other than this note there aren’t other source for this. I also feel that if this were the reason for his nickname the Black Prince would have been known as such during his lifetime, not 200 years later. In addition many contemporary or near-contemporary works of art show a man with light-brown to dark-blond hair and fair skin, I’ll put his Order of the Garter likeness on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, this was painted in the 1430s on the commission of William Bruges who was alive during the end of Edward III’s reign and all of Richard II’s reign. I’m not saying there wasn’t propaganda in the 14th century, but this seems to be the least likely reason. 

The second suggestion for this title is the Black Prince’s supposed orchestration of a brutal massacre  of more than 3000 citizen of Limoges in September of 1370. The theory of a this slaughter comes almost exclusively from Jean Froissart, a French-speaking court historian from Hainaut. It’s important to note that at the time of the siege of Limoges, Froissart was no longer in the employ of the English nor at the event. Froissart states that:

‘It was a most melancholy business - for all ranks, ages and sexes cast themselves on their knees before the prince, begging for mercy; but he was so inflamed with passion and revenge that he listened to none, but all were put to the sword. Upwards of 3,000 men, women and children were put to death that day.’

This statement has been used to imply that the Black Prince was a blood-thirsty, horrible, beast of a man who killed many unarmed civilians. However, modern historian Dr Guilhem Pepin found a letter in the Black Princes own hand in a Spanish archive. The Black Prince had written the letter to his sometimes friend and ally, Gaston Febus, Count of Foix. In the letter the Black Prince refers to taking of 200 knights and other soldiers and the Bishop of the city. Based on other sources it’s likely that only 300 people were killed in the siege, 100 soldiers and 200 civilians. I’m not suggesting 300 deaths isn’t a tragedy, but it’s no where near the massacre of 3,000. Michael Jones outlines in his book ‘The Black Prince’, that it’s likely Froissart didn’t understand the layout of the city, which has two parts. The lower portion, the cite, was controlled by the bishop, who prior to this was one of Edward’s closest friends and his son Richard’s godfather. The upper portion, or chateau was the commercial area where most of the citizens lived. Only the lower portion of the city was attacked and sacked. Most of the citizens killed were killed by the French garrison due to the citizens’ loyalty to the Black Prince. It’s unlikely the French royal family and population would have mourned for his passing if he had slaughtered more than 3,000 civilians. 

The final and most likely reason for his nickname is his armour and shield. It was black, or at least it would have appeared so in the 15th century. The Black Prince chose his peace shield, the one he used for tournaments after the Battle of Crecy. He borrowed the ostrich feather emblem used by his fallen opponent, John of Bohemia (sometimes called Jean of Luxembourg), who died surrounded by his loyal knights in a final charge,  and placed three on a black background. When shield and armour are put together it’s easy to imagine a 15th century writing trying to come up with a nickname that wasn’t already taken (since Edward IV, and Edward, prince of Wales were already taken).

With his nickname out of the way let’s begin discussing his actual life. Not surprisingly, there’s little known of his early life. Young boys were often raised with their mothers and sisters until their formal education began at six. The Black Prince’s oldest younger sisters, Isabella and Joan, were close in age to him and would have likely spent a great deal of time with him in their childhood. The Black Prince would likely have begun his formal education before any of his brothers were even born, he was eight years older than his next brother, Lionel of Antwerp.

Edward III wanted his oldest son to be raised to be a great military leader. Edward III resented the Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton that he had been forced to sign in 1328 at the age of 15, I’ll save the details of this treaty for his episode. Edward III’s plans for his son included beginning his leadership training early. Before his third birthday he was invested with the earldom of Chester and in 1337 he was created Duke of Cornwall, the first dukedom in England. This dukedom is still invested in the Prince of Wales. Thirteen thirty-seven was also the year that tension with France came to a head. As part of papal attempts to negotiate a truce between France and England the Black Prince, accompanied by various nobles, escorted two cardinals, acting as papal negotiators, into the city to meet his father. And finally in 1338, when the Black Prince was eight, while Edward III was in Flanders, campaigning (or trying to) against the French, he appointed his son guardian of England, though a council would do the actual governing, Edward III wanted his son to participate early in the process of government. The Black Prince would serve in this role from July of 1338-February of 1340. While Edward III was on the continent he attempted to arrange a marriage between his son and a daughter of his ally, John II, Duke of Brabant, this came to nothing. 

Much that is known about the Black Prince’s childhood is known in relation to his father, whom he would have grown up hearing stories about Edwards victories in Scotland and France, including an amazing sea battle in 1340. In addition to his 1338-40 service as guardian he would act as such twice more, again in 1340 and from October 1342-March 1343. Edward III’s spending on these campaigns caused his son a great deal of stress since the young boy was charged with communicating with his father regarding taxes and levies. Edward III actually bankrupt two Italian lending houses in the early years of his continental campaigns. In 1345, at the age of 15 the Black Prince would accompany his father to Sluys to assist or at least witness treaty negotiations with Edward III’s allies in Flanders. Throughout late 1345 and early 1346 Edward III would plan his next major campaign in France, and this time the Black Prince would be joining him in battle. 

While Edward III will be getting his own special episode I do need to discuss him a little, especially his understanding of the psychology and stagecraft of war. At 15, in August of 1327 he had been with his mother and Roger Mortimer near the Scottish border as part of the Weardale campaign. Scottish forces had been avoiding battle with England throughout July and August, and were apparently low on supplies, when overnight on the 2nd and 3rd the Black Douglas, yes the same one who had tried to kidnap Isabella of France in 1319 at York, attacked the English camp. Edward’s tent was cut down with him inside, terrifying the young king. This is the campaign that led to the Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton. It did teach him a few valuable lessons, first, starving people will do what they must to survive, plan accordingly. Second, choosing the location of battle and when to battle is the best way to assure a win, the Scots had avoided battle forcing the English to follow them around to try to provoke an attack. Third, knowledge of the geographical area where battle will occur is priceless, the Scots retreated through a swampy area that the English thought they would be unable to flee across. Edward III also learned that building rapport and camaraderie with his troops was an important part of being a great military leader. He would regularly gamble with his troops as a way to spend time with them. All these things would be taught to his son through military service and tournaments. Yes, we get to talk about tournaments!

Tournaments had been popular in Europe since the 12th century. They’re very different than what anyone who has watched The Tudors would imagine. While there was jousting the main event was the melee or buhurt. As the name would suggest this was basically a big fight between two opposing teams with the goal to capture the knights on the opposite team and ransom them back to their side. Throughout Edward III’s father’s reign tournaments had lost popularity, Edward II was a fan of digging ditches, swimming, and chopping wood, without royal support the tournament circuit in England dried up. Edward III was set on bringing back chivalry and tournaments. Jousting and pageantry were a huge part of his court and tournament circuit. In 1344 he had a round table, in King Arthur style built for a tournament. He had originally planned to form and Order of the Round Table, replicating the Spanish Order of the Sash founded by King Alfonso XI of Castile in 1332. I’ll get into the order he founded soon. Before that we have one little battle (and a huge march or chevauchees) to cover, yes, a rare campaign and battle I will actually cover.

The Black Prince and his father left England in July 1346. In my reading for this series much is made about the Black Prince’s actions in the battle of Crecy. This was the battle where Edward III made his son ‘win his spurs’ the full story is a bit more horrific to modern ears than the heroic tellings of those who weren’t at the battle. 

In 1346 Edward III had his choice of locations to either attack or reinforce. His cousin Henry of Lancaster, son of the Henry of Lancaster mentioned in the Isabella’s episode, was leading forces in Gascony. Edward III’s forces in Flanders were under the leadership of Sir Hugh Hastings, a nephew of Hugh Despenser the Younger. Edward III had 14,000 troops at his disposal, but instead of reinforcing his forces he decided he would attack a completely new location, or in his case, a very old location, Normandy. While English kings hadn’t been Dukes of Normandy for almost 100 years, since 1259, Edward III’s mother had received mother, Isabella of France had received the county Ponthieu from her father as part of her dowery (her father had good reason to be upset with her husband not taking care of her needs in England). Ponthieu is just north of Normandy, and Edward III spent time hunting and visiting the area in 1329 and 1331. This was an era well before Google Maps, Map Quest, or even an almanac. Topographic maps were pretty much non-existent and those that did exist were often inaccurate. Because he had spent time in the area and gotten to know the locals he would have had access to local help and his own knowledge of the area. This would come in handy in this campaign, and it would teach his son the value of planning and improvising in campaigns. I’ll remind you all once more, I will be covering more on this campaign from Edward III’s point of view in his special episode. If you look at a map of the Crecy Campaign it looks a bit like Edward III took his army on a really long, winding march, when he could have easily sailed to his target location quickly. I’m currently putting a great deal of reading a research into this because I think understanding Edward III’s choices is important. Try to remember the focus on this episode it the Black Prince and what he’s seeing and learning. I will be including a map on Facebook of this campaign, please take a look if you’re not familiar with this area of the world, it will help explain why this march took so long. 

Edward III assigned the Black Prince to the vanguard. The young man would be assisted by two of his father’s most trusted lieutenants. While on campaign the Black Prince would learn all his father had to teach, and what he had to teach was the stuff of legend. Upon landing on the 12th of July 1346 at Saint-Vaast-la-Hogue Edward III fell face first into the sand. Instead of being embarrassed he supposedly stood up and claimed it was a sign that the land of France was welcoming him, it was only one of many examples of his showmanship. Not long after arriving Edward III knighted his son. Having a king knight a future king is an important right of passage as I mentioned in relation to Henry II in Matilda’s episode. On this campaign Edward III and his army would be taking a Roman approach to conquering territories. Those who surrendered without a fight would be treated well and protected, those who fought would be treated without mercy. Edward III was fighting in France on the claim that it was his country, these people were his subjects. 

From the 12th to the 26th of July the army marched to Caen (Can). The Black Prince would lead the Siege of the city. The city and its castle fell easily. Edward III had instilled chivalry into his leaders, this would see the French leadership of Caen protected****. The Count of Eu, Raul de Brienne, the French commander of the castle was almost killed in the final assault, he was probably very grateful for Edward III’s teachings. One of the Black Prince’s lieutenants was waved down by Raul who put him under protection as a hostage. Hostages were valuable war prizes and often taken towards the end of battles. 

After taking Caen Edward III and his army started marching towards Rouen. Philip VI finally responded by rushing to Rouen, thinking he was predicting Edward III’s move. Instead, as planned, Edward III led his troops south, along the Seine, towards Paris or at least that’s what he wanted Philip to think (it’s great only having one Philip in this episode, this would be the last French King Philip). He sent the Black Prince to raid the rural areas and outer suburbs of Paris, while his engineers quickly and quietly repaired a bridge at Poissy (pwa-see), the French troops shadowing the English forces from the opposite side of the Seine were surprised with by the English troops. 

The Black Prince was about to see one of his father’s greatest pieces of military theatre. His father was moving north towards the Somme, with French troops coming up from Rouen behind him. The smaller French forces on the north bank of the Somme had again burnt all bridges to prevent the English from crossing. Edward was about to teach his son the importance of both showmanship and planning.  Edward knew of a place to ford the Somme, called Blanchetaque by the locals. Edward may have known about this from his earlier visits or he may have heard about it earlier in his march. Blanchetaque was a sandstone crossing that was passable at low tide. . On the morning of the 24th of August he lead his troops to the water edge. French troops were waiting across the river from them, but didn’t seem to know there was a crossing at this point. Edward had likely shared this information with only his son and his leading lieutenants. He sent his trusted knights across first. His timing was perfect, the tide was out, but about to turn and start coming in. A group of mounted archers followed the knights in and started firing at the French troops who scattered. The Black Prince and the rest of the army followed. Chroniclers and soldiers were impressed by his theatre. Edwards timing was perfect, the French troops that were following them were unable to cross due to the rising tide. The French hadn’t thought that Edward and his troops could cross the Somme and hadn’t prepared the countryside around it for his presence allowing him and his troops to loot for food and supplies.

While the Black Prince hadn’t been leading he was learning. At only 16 and on his first military campaign, he was watching a great military mind. Edward III had even brought early guns! Mainly for their novelty factor and noise, but really, guns in 1346! While the route the army was taking may not have been ideal the art of chevauchees, if I can call it an art, is something the Black Prince would learn well and use to brutal effect in his later campaigns. Chevauchee literally means ‘horse charge’, it was a an early form of the scorched-earth method. I’ve heard it described as the medieval version of ‘bellum se ipsum alet’ ‘the army will feed itself’ as coined by Cato the Elder. While it’s most associated with the Thirty Years’ War I think it properly describes the behaviour of the Black Prince and his father. 

Edward III picked the site of battle well, instead of letting his enemy choose the place of battle he selected an elevated location just outside of Crecy. He chose the higher ground of course, but also secured his rear, which was covered by forest. The hill would slow any horses or men attacking his position. There are two different sources on his placement of archers either at his flanks or scattered throughout his forces. The angle of fields on the hill would force French attacks toward his right line and that is where he put his son. Edward III was going to see to it that his son learned what war was, or die trying. Without going through the whole battle, because I don’t do battles, it’s important to know the Philip VI’s leadership was lacking, mainly because he wasn’t in the field. He was trying to get there, but the French line stretched out and Philip allowed his troops to attack without his entire army present. The lack of his leadership would be costly to his side. 

The Black Prince fought bravely, locking arms with the soldiers next to him to hold back French waves of attackers. His father was asked by others to remove him, but he let his son continue fighting. He even refused to reinforce his son’s lines. At one point the Black Prince was knocked unconscious and almost taken prisoner. Only fighting amongst the French as to whose hostage he was and quick action on the part of his men saw him out of harms way. He did regain consciousness and return to battle, but this wasn’t the glory that is often presented in blog posts and cinema. Thankfully there are sources, including those compiled by Dr. Michael Livingston, whose search through the primary sources and tells a story that isn’t all glory. Edward the Black Prince seems to have a great PR team, even 650 plus years after his death. Many people focus on the outcome, English victory, French looks, and Edward III’s statement that his son needed to ‘earn his spurs’. Really this was almost the worst outcome. An unconscious prince is a great hostage, as we’ll see next week royalty is worth a lot. The battle could still have been won even if Edward III had moved his son to a safer position. Putting 16 year olds in the middle of battle is usually not recommended, but the Black Prince showed courage. Edward III’s risking of his son to teach him a lesson was bordering on foolhardy. Yes, the Black Prince earned his spurs, but only luck and a few quick thinking soldiers, kept him alive. 

After their win at Crecy, Edward III’s army was resupplied at La Crotoy (a port at the mouth of the Somme, which indicates that Edward III had planned at least part of his route to Crecy in advance). The Black Prince continued to loot the countryside, remember those that stood against the king were free game. They continued traveling north, reaching Calais on the 4th of September. At the same time Philip VI, well, sort of threw in the towel. He disbanded his army to save money, he didn’t seem to realise that Edward III was not done with his country. The siege of Calais would last for almost a year. Philip did reform his army, but would begin struggling with troop numbers for reasons we’ll learn about in the next episode. Edward III and his troops were assisted by French turncoats, and the city would fall on the 3rd of August 1347. Calais would remain an English-held territory until the reign of Mary I in 1558. The Black Prince was present throughout the siege. He spend time looting for supplies in the local area. After the fall of Calais the Truce of Calais was signed between Edward III and Philip VI, it originally ran for nine month from September 1347 to July 1348. It would be extended multiple times until it was allowed to expire in 1355. 

After returning to England from Calais in 1347 Edward III finally founded his chivalric order, the Order of the Garter in 1348. Now, quickly, there are a few dates listed for the founding, but I think the 1348 date to be most likely. The Complete Peerage states it was founded in April of 1344, two years before the Crecy Campaign even began. 1344 was also the year that Edward III instituted the Round Table with 300 knights. I think founding two chivalric orders in one year would be a bit ambitious even for an ambitious king like Edward III. The Black Prince was the first knight initiated to the order after the king of course. After more than a year overseas learning how to lead men, almost being captured, and all the deprivation that comes from being on campaign the pomp and honour around the order would have been a great reward. 

I’ll be taking a break here, I want to divide the Black Prince’s story into two parts, the learning phase you’ve heard here and the leading phase that comes next. Next week I’ll be covering his use of all that his father taught him to rule Gascony and lead troops in France to one of the greatest victories in English history. Because he’s the first Passed to predecease the king for whom he was the heir apparent the end of his story will be slightly more heartbreaking, so do be ready for that. Please join me next week. 

****Add about chivalry:

While we often think of men opening doors for women or courtly love when chivalry is discussed it was actually more relevant on the battlefield. Knights, nobles, and kings, and those who surrender should be taken prisoner. Ransom was demanded for those who could pay, and think of it from a logical way. You don’t kill your hostage but you get money that you can use to pay more soldiers to fight against your enemy. There are times these rules are dropped on the battlefield, when certain battle flags were shown, the Oriflame for the French and the Dragon Banner for the English would be the best examples, no quarter would be given. 

****Add to the end:

I would like to welcome my second Patron, thank you Christa. I really hope that over the coming months we can build a community on both Patreon and social media. I love hearing listeners’ thoughts and feedback. Please don’t be shy. I can’t be on at all times, but I will respond as often as I can. 

The Black Prince Part Two:

Welcome back to the Black Prince’s story. This will cover him as a full-formed adult, planning his own battles, and putting what he learned from his father to use.

The Black Prince’s next battle would almost be for fun, if battles can be fun. In late 1349 the French, violating their own truce, started planning the retaking of Calais. Led by Geoffry de Charny (shar nee)5,500 French troops marched to Calais on the 31st of December 1349. The plan was perfect, the galley master had been bribed to allow the French forces in, they would quickly overrun the city, killing the garrison and restoring French honour, at least that was the plan. The galley master, it seems, double-crossed the French and informed, through intermediaries, Edward III. Edward III decided he and his son (and 900 additional troops) would deal with this themselves. Telling the galley master to take the bribe and allow the French in they arrived in secret days before the planned attack. Edward III, the Black Prince, and their lieutenants secreted themselves near the gate that the French were to enter through. The fighting was fierce and brutal. At one point the king and a few companions raced out of the castle fighting off French soldiers only to be cut off from return. The Black Prince quickly came to his father’s aid protecting him from capture or death. The English were victorious and took many prisoners. Edward III was unusually cruel to his highest ranked prisoner. De Charny was mocked publicly for a lack of chivalry in attacking the city while under truce. De Charny would remain a hostage for the next year, his release delayed by a change in French leadership. In August of 1350 Philip the Fortunate died at 57. One year before he died he had acquired the Dauphine (dah feen), a province in southeast France. As part of this acquisition he was required to bestow the title ‘le Dauphin (lu du fan)’ on the French heir apparent (not heir presumptive). This is not dissimilar the title Prince of Wales, given to the heir apparent in England since Edward II. Philip VI was succeeded by his son, John II, the Good, though that soubriquet is an interesting choice as we’ll see. 

Here I need to introduce a minor character into our story, just very minor. John of Gaunt, you all knew he was coming, so don’t act surprised, the third surviving son of Edward III. In August of 1350 he was ten years old and about to join the person he near worshiped more than anything in the world, on a sea adventure. I do think it’s funny to think of one of the greatest military and political men of his day as a ten year old boy joining his big brother on a naval campaign. He will be getting three episodes of his own, so you’ll hear more of him soon. The Black Prince and John of Gaunt would be on a ship together in an armada with their father. The kingdom of Castile, in modern day Spain had formed an alliance with France and their combined Castilian-Genoese fleet had been disrupting English shipping in early 1350. Edward III, not surprisingly was unimpressed and decided to do something about it. On the 28th of August 1350 Edward set out with 50 ships and the requisite men. A day later they engaged with the 47 ship Spanish fleet, it was a route, the English took at least 14 ships, possibly 26. There were multiple Spanish ships sunk, but only two English ships were sunk! In an unfortunate moment though, one of those ships was the one containing the Black Prince and his brother. Luckily for them, their cousin, Henry of Lancaster saw their ship floundering against the Spanish ship they were grappling and came to their rescue, attacking the same ship from the opposite side. The Spanish ship was taken and the Black Prince, his brother, and their men and crew rushed onto the Spanish ship right before theirs sank. A year later Henry of Lancaster would be made the second Duke in England as the first Duke of Lancaster (not who you expected, right?). 

The Black Death was in remission in 1350, many pandemics follow this pattern of waxing and waning, and when travel was slower it took longer for these outbreaks to come back. The Plague, as it’s also known, arrived in England in 1348, likely carried back by troops from Edward III and the Black Prince’s campaign. It would have reached England at some point regardless of troop movements, there was bustling trade between England and the continent after all. I’ll be doing a special episode about the plague because it really is a subject unto itself and had a lasting impact on European politics. I don’t want to focus on it too much in this episode, but I need to give it a moment. It’s here, impacting population, killing members of society regardless of age, social class, or wealth, and devastating all it touches. It will even kill one of the Black Prince’s sisters, Joan, who was only 14. She had ignored warnings to avoid a plague town on her journey to Castile. Listening to well-researched medical advice is usually recommended, the locals had seen plenty of people, including newcomers to the town, dying. In England estimates vary, but between 30 and 60% of the population of Europe had died. Think about how big of an impact the current pandemic is having, and its mortality rate is minuscule compared to the Plague. Much like now, employees had a lot more power than they’d had previously. They could demand higher wages and many would leave their land to look for better paid work. There were legislative attempts to stop this, putting caps on wages or trying to force peasant farmers to stay on their land. They didn’t work well. For the Black Prince this would not only hurt personally, but also financially. Money is always something kings and princes need to worry about. They need to appear generous, while also maintaining reserves to higher troops or pay for arms. The Black Prince had taken over most of his own finances, so he needed to be aware of where his money was going. In the years following the outbreak his rent receipts were down as much as 95% and he personally forgave the rents of his tenants who would leave his properties other wise. He asked his agents to deal fairly with tenants in cases of disputed payments. 

As earl of Cheshire he was in charge of governing the region, not just receiving rents. In the summer of 1353 the citizens of this county expressed their frustration with his chosen representative by killing one of his bailiffs who was on official business. To bring order back to this area the Black Prince visited in person with multiple officers in June of that year. For protection he brought his cousin, Henry of Lancaster and Henry’s retinue. Two senior earls were positioned within a short ride. In his meeting with county leadership he agreed to extend some of their privileges while they agreed to pay a fine of 3,300 pounds over four years. Money was an ongoing issue for the Black Prince, even when he earned a lot from his chevauchee and hostages he spent a lot on campaign. 

In early 1355 the 24 year old (yes, only 24) Black Prince met with one of his fellow Order of the Garter members, Jean de Grailly, who was a knight in Gascony. De Grailly had come to London for a tournament to celebrate the birth of the Black Prince’s youngest sibling, Thomas of Woodstock (yes, they share the same parents). In addition to getting his melee on De Grailly wanted to speak with Edward III and the Black Prince with regard to Gascony. De Grailly and the other Gascon nobles were struggling with the count of Armagnac (ah man yak), Jean. The count of Armagnac was the governor of Languedoc (long-u doc), a province on the east side of Gascony. With John II’s consent he had been invading and capturing Gascon cities and trying to win Gascon nobles to the French cause. De Grailly suggested to Edward III that he send one of his sons to govern Gascony. It’s obvious which son he was suggesting, of Edwards sons only the Black Prince was old enough and experienced enough, Lionel was 16, John 15, Edmund 14, and Thomas was an infant. While Edward III had faith in his son, he did consider sending a more experienced leader. He took the proposal to council and in late May 1355 it was decided that the Black Prince would be appointed lieutenant of Gascony. This was part of Edward III’s broader plan of restarting war with France.

Edward III and the young French king, John II, had been attempting to negotiate a new treaty. While his subjects in England may have taken Edward III’s claims to the French throne seriously, history show it was often a bit of political expediency. He was willing to sign it away if it would get him something good that he didn’t have to fight for. In this case he was willing to trade it for Aquitane, not just Gascony, and the right to hold it as an independent duchy, not as a vassal to the French crown. King John would probably regret turning this offer down in the next few years, but none of us have foresight. Since treaty negotiations had stalled and the earlier truce had expired Edward III decided it was time to send his son back to the continent. On the 10th of July 1355 the Black Prince was fully invested as the lieutenant of Gascony. He would be treated, in Gascony, as though he were the king.

The Black Prince would take 2,600 soldiers with him, evenly divided between archers and men-at-arms. Four earls, along with two lords and two knights were assigned as his special advisors. The rest of his knights were all members of the Order of the Garter. One of these knights, Sir John Chandos is to that for the Chandos Herald, one of the primary sources for this time period. His patronage of the unnamed author gives many first-hand accounts of the Black Prince’s time in Gascony. 

Due to bad wind, life is hard without combustion engines or even boats that could tack easily, the Black Prince wouldn’t reach Bordeaux, the capital of Gascony, until the 16th of September 1355. on the 21st he swore an oath in the local cathedral to maintain the local customs and privileges and to be a good lord. The local leaders, then in kind, swore oaths of fidelity to the Black Prince. The local elite were grateful for the Black Prince’s leadership, they were hopeful he would start to campaign against the count of Armagnac. They were not disappointed. After the oaths had been sworn the Black Prince went into the local square to speak to the citizens of Bordeaux. He told them he shared their hatred of Armagnac and would respond to his assaults on Gascony with his army.

In addition to the Black Prince’s troops, 2,400 Gascons joins his ranks, bringing his army up to 5,000, all on horseback.  The Black Prince’s plan was a chevauchee through the lands of the count of Armagnac. The Black Prince and his forces began their march in early October 1355. Armagnac, the county, not the count, was part of Gascony and therefore part of the Black Prince’s land. While what follows is cruel to modern ears it is what would have been expected. A rebelling count should expect to be punished by his lord or prince or king. His lord or prince or king would not remain such if he could not stop a recalcitrant vassal. 

The Black Prince and his army reached the edge of lands firmly under his control on the 4th of October. Raiding and looting as they went, on the 23rd the army reached the count’s personal estates. His fortress was burnt to the ground and the lands and towns around it were sacked. The count of Armagnac locked himself and his soldiers in Toulouse to avoid battle (I’m sure he would tell you he was playing the Fabian strategy, but it’s seems like he was playing the hide and pray strategy). He stated to his peers that his soldiers were of poor quality as compared to the Black Prince’s troops (I do hope he said this when his soldiers weren’t around).

Over a total of eight weeks the Black Prince and his forces continued to ravage the countryside, attacking the city of Carcassone (avoiding its citadel due to its heavy guard, no word on what happened to its meeple), before reaching Narbonne on the Mediterranean coast and turned back to return to Gascony. While the Black Prince was on his chevauchee his father had sailed to Calais and attempted to offer battle to John II, which was refused. While he was avoiding Edward III, John II was somehow displeased with the lack of action from his leaders in Armagnac. the vicomte of Narbonne was so shamed he marched out to attempt battle against the Black Prince. The Black Prince returned to Gascony on the 28th of November, more that 1,000 wagons had been needed to bring back all they had plundered. He had marched from the Atlantic coast of France to the Mediterranean and back with almost no resistance. After returning to Bordeaux the Black Prince disbanded a portion of his army, the rest he setup in winter quarters. He would spend Christmas, New Years and the early part of 1356 in Bordeaux. The next bit of action his troops saw would be terrifying and exhilarating.  

The Black Prince didn’t just rest idly through this time. He and his father were planning a great, joint campaign with their cousin, Henry of Lancaster. John II had shown himself unable to motivate his nobles, he appeared weak, and 1356 seemed the perfect year to strike. Edward III’s cousin, Charles II of Navarre, the Bad, son of Joan II of Navarre from last season, and Philip the Wise was doing what he did best, causing chaos. He had stoked the fires of rebellion and dissent in Normandy, where he was a great landholder. In April of 1356 he had been attending a dinner party with the dauphin, Charles, the future Charles V. It was interrupted by King John II, who arrested Charles II. Charles II got off pretty lightly, four other guests, all of noble birth, were executed. This did nothing to help John II’s popularity. With John II’s popularity at an all-time low Edward III knew this was the time to strike. His goal was to lure John II into battle in either Normandy or outside of Paris. Edward III would land in Calais and march from there. Henry of Lancaster would march from the west, near Saint-Vaast-La-Hogue, and the Black Prince would march up from Gascony. Have a look at a map if you can, if the plan was to attach near Rouen it would mean a 200+ km march for Edward III, a 240 km march for Henry of Lancaster, and a 570+ km march for the Black Prince, remember communication lines over this time were pretty much non-existent and there would be multiple river crossings for each army. This was an ambitious plan from the start. 

The Black Prince left Bordeaux on the 25th of June 1356, marching towards La Reolo, reaching it by early July. He gathered addition troops here, and carried on to Bergerac where he was delayed for four weeks due to the count of Armagnac deciding his Fabian tactics had failed and attacking Gascony. The Black Prince was forces to divide his troops, sending 2,000 with his seneschal to defend Gascony. During this delay, Henry of Lancaster had been forced to change plans due to his route to France being blocked. Instead of landing in Saint-Vaast-La-Hogue he was forced to disband some of his troops before heading to Brittany. He was there to assist the English allies, the Montfords (I’ll get into this and share more about Henry of Lancaster in the Episode about the War of Breton Succession). Edward III was also held up in England. The mouth of the Seine was blocked by John’s Aragonese allies, but the Black Prince knew nothing of this. He set off from Bergerac on the 8th of August with approximately 6,000 men, including 2,000 longbowmen, and a baggage train (which like it 1355 chevauchee would be smaller than most since he was planning on ‘requisitioning’ what his army needed). Upon reaching Vierzon, on the 28th of August, he realised his father and cousin were not nearby. He sent two of his lieutenants ahead to scout. They came back with news that not only had Edward III not landed, but King John II had gather a massive army and was heading towards their location. They were unable to get word about Henry of Lancaster.

Now, when I say King John II had gathered a massive army I’m not understating it. When combining his forces with the count of Poitier, who was joining him from the east he would have at least 14,000 men, including all four of his sons, and 350 of his nobles. Edward III was aware of what was happening on the continent and desperate to get to his son, it’s one thing to stick your son on the frontline when you’re there, it’s a completely different thing to leave him outnumbered in enemy territory. Sadly for him the Aragonese fleet appeared in Kent right at this moment. He had managed to send an order to Henry of Lancaster to leave Brittany and go assist the Black Prince. At the moment the Black Prince knew things were going badly and turned to return to Gascony John II’s troops were only 153 km to his north, and the count of Poitier was 105 km to the east. Henry of Lancaster was 435 km to the west and the Black Prince had 450 km to march before he’d reach the safety of Gascony. Hoping his cousin could reach him in time he began marching west quickly. Henry of Lancaster had saved his life once at the Battle of Winchelsea, perhaps he would be able to do so again, he was known for his speed on campaign. 

The Black Prince reached Tours, on the Loire river, on the 7th of September. Henry of Lancaster was only 112 km away from him at this point. Lancaster had covered more than 200km in only four days. For reference it took the Black Prince nine days to cover approximately 120 km and he wasn’t traveling slowly (13 km per day is a very reasonable rate for troops who had been in traveling for over a month). The Black Prince and his army crossed the Loire, hoping to meet with Henry downstream. However the weather did not play nice, after weeks of sun and mild weather it rained for three days straight, filing the Loire and blocking Henry of Lancaster crossing options. The two armies could see each other from across the river, but Henry would be unable to come to his cousin’s assistance. I can only imagine how deflated he would have felt. 

While the Black Prince was trying to link up with his cousin John II was marching after him. He was able to cross the Loire at a well defended bridge he had left standing. He ordered the count of Armagnac to march north with the goal of cutting off the Black Prince’s retreat to Gascony. At this moment a little luck came to him. Luck is not something to laugh at, even Napoleon when offered two equally qualified officers and only one promotion spot would select the one who had a history of good fortune. Pope Innocent had sent his papal legate, Cardinal Talleyrand, to attempt to negotiate between the Black Prince and John II. While it wouldn’t seem lucky to be stopped the Cardinal brought some interesting papers to the Black Prince. These were letters from his father, written on the 4th of August, authorising the Black Prince to negotiate on Edward III’s behalf. It was the clearest sign that he was on his own. How was this lucky? Because, the Black Prince it turns out was really good at fighting when outnumbered and had nothing to loose. Negotiations were delayed and the Black Prince continued to march south.  He found out his retreat was blocked. On the 18th of September, just outside of Poitriers he select the location for battle. Cardinal Tallyrand made one more appearance to attempt negotiations for at truce. King John II confident of winning, demanded the English give up all their gains and release their French prisoners without ransom. He also requests a seven year truce. The Black Prince seeing this was the time to just throw out random wishes asked for one of the king’s daughters in marriage (hostage who lives with her capture) and a huge dowery. No one was accepting of any terms. In shocking news for both the Black Prince and Tallyrand some of the cardinal’s retinue joined the French side. 

The next morning, the 19th of September 1356 the English started the day by feigning a retreat, provoking the French to battle. You all know I don’t do battles, so I’ll just stick to the basic information. The English were on higher ground, much like Crecy, with trees to the right flank and rear. The Black Prince had set his archers up in a protected position on the left of the field. There were three French charges. While the English were able to fight these off, each French attack was a different division. The French were loosing men, but still had plenty in reserve. Before the fourth attack John II’s sons (at least three of the King’s sons left the field, the fourth may have as well, but he did come back). The French Oriflamme was displayed, this flag indicates that no quarter is to be given, so a surrendering fighter will be killed. One of the Black Prince’s injured lieutenants lead a flanking manoeuvre while the main host advanced upon the French. The French forces attacked from both the front and rear lost its formation. The battle ended with the capture of King John II and his youngest (and now favourite son) Philip. Young Philip, the future Philip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, who was only 14, had stood by his father’s side at the end of battle. The Black Prince had only lost 40 knights, the French had lost over 4,000. The English-Gascon army returned to Gascony, they reached a border city on the 2nd of October and triumphantly marched into Bordeaux two weeks later. The Black Prince would return to England the following year with his prisoners. A treaty wouldn’t be signed until 1360. When it was signed it gave Edward a great deal of French territory held without doing homage. Meaning they were his and not French. In exchange Edward III renounced his claim to the French throne.

Over the next few years the Black Prince spent time in England, partook in another campaign, this time in Reims, and then finally on the 10th of October 1361 he got married. He was 31, his bride was 31 and this was a love match. Joan, Countess of Kent was Edward III’s first cousin through his uncle, Edmund of Woodstock, 1st Earl of Kent. That would be the uncle whom Roger Mortimer had executed in 1330. Edward III had been very kind to his young cousin. I’m more than happy to do a special episode on her if anyone is interested. She had been married previously, twice actually (though not legally) and was the mother of three long children. There are suggestions that the Black Prince and Joan proceeded with their engagement without the king’s consent. They would need papal dispensation, so everyone did find out at some point. They would have two sons, Edward (a rather expected name) of Angouleme in July 1364, and Richard, the future Richard II, in 1367. Edward of Angouleme would die in January 1371. By all accounts the family were very close and the Black Prince and Joan were a loving, happy couple. 

In July of 1362 Edward III granted the Black Prince Aquitaine, not just as lieutenant, but as a prince-vassal. He would be expected to keep the duchy peaceful. His biggest challenge would be the free companies, groups of formally disbanded soldiers who had taken to banditry in the French countryside. While they weren’t attacking Gascony Edward III did ask his son to try to discourage their behaviour. In April of 1364 John II of France died at 44. He was succeeded by his son, Charles V. Charles had no martial bravery, he was bookish, thoughtful, and intelligent, and this is what would help his the most as we’ll see through the Black Prince’s brother’s episodes. He would earn the soubriquet ‘the Wise’, a well applied appellation. 

In 1366 King Peter of Castile was ejected from his kingdom by his bastard (literally) half-brother, Henry. Henry of Trastamara had been assisted by the free companies, acting a mercenaries, and the emirate of Granada. He sent word while he was fleeing, asking for his ally, England’s assistance. The Black Prince was in the best position to do so, but originally didn’t support Peter on ideological grounds. Peter was known as the Cruel. He had killed his loyal half-brother, and Henry’s twin out of paranoia. He had locked up his first wife and had her murdered. This was Joan of England’s, the Black Prince’s sister, betrothed, her death from the plague obviously wasn’t nice, but being married to Peter wouldn’t have been much better. Edward III overruled his son, and convinced him and his brother John of Gaunt that this was a worthy cause. Since this campaign has a lot more to do with John of Gaunt’s future I’ll leave it for his episode (plus, Charles’ II of Navarre’s behaviour will be covered in his special episode, I know you’re all stoked for that episode, it will be lit). What’s important to know is that a. the Black Prince won (because he never lost), b. it was a financially pyrrhic victory (because quell surprise Peter of Castile didn’t pay him their agreed upon fees), and c. this was the first time the Black Prince got really ill, likely from dysentery, which raced through his army. 

Upon his return to Gascony the Black Prince was broke. He had funded the entire Castilian campaign and over the next few years he would loose multiple friends in small skirmishes and battles. His last battle would be the one I mentioned in his introduction, the siege of Limoges. There’s something I didn’t mention in the introduction though, he was brought to the siege on a stretcher, he was so unwell he was unable to ride a horse. His brother, yes John again, was there to help him. early 1371, right after the death of his oldest son, he resigned his command in Gascony to his brother John and returned to England. His health was declining and he likely hoped the reduced stress in England would help him. He would fully resign his hold in October since the income was not enough to sustain his needs. Over the next few years he took an active part in English politics and tried to check some of John’s more revolutionary tendencies. But his health never recovered. While many had stated he died of dysentery I don’t know how accurate that is. Yes, his first illness in 1366 was likely dysentery, but the immune system normally fights it off within two weeks or the patient dies. There’s a chance he was reinfected, but I can find no evidence of an outbreak in England around the time of his final illness in 1376. If i could make an educated laywoman’s guess I would suggest that the first bought of dysentery both injured his intestinal barrier and caused a change in his microbiome precipitating Inflammatory Bowel Disease. This could have lead to colon cancer, which have symptoms that match the Black Prince’s symptoms better for his final illness. If I have any doctors listening please let me know what you think. I did discuss this with a doctor, but I’m sure a gastro intrerologist would have their own thoughts. I would love to hear your thoughts. With the Black Prince’s death on the 8th of June 1376 England and her French territories would have been left in a state of shock. There had only been two other minorities in Anglo-Norman history, those of Henry III and Edward III. Henry’s rule was a disaster, and had Edward not overthrown his regents his might have been as well. I’ll be covering his son’s reign throughout his brother’s episodes, but it took a bit more after Henry III’s than Edward III’s.

Analysis

The Black Prince wasn’t a perfect leader. To modern eyes he would seem brutal in his military strategies, but in his time he was considered a great leader. Capturing the French king was one of the high points of the Hundred Years’ War, only Henry V’s victory at Agincourt would ever compare. Would the Black Prince have been a better king than the person who took his place, YES! Hands down, and experienced, 46 year old, brilliant military leader is so much better than a ten year old boy lead by a council with some uncle issues. Had the Black Prince ruled for even ten years Richard’s mental health issues would likely have been noticed and addressed by possibly removing him from succession or setting up a lifetime regency council. Had he ruled for 15, dying at the near the same age as his father did, he would have been powerful enough to make the decision of who should rule after him. He is likely the best king England never had. I have a long list of heir apparents who died before the monarch and there are only three I rate as highly as Edward the Black Prince in being not just a better option than the king who replaced them, but a better option than the king they should have succeeded. For the curious those would be Germanicus, heir to his uncle Tiberius (and father to Caligula), Henry V, heir to his father-in-law Charles VI of France, and Henry-Fredrick, heir to his father James I/VI. The first two were greater military and political minds than their predecessors and sons, the third was a thoughtful, intelligent young man dedicated to the religion of England with the charisma his father and younger brother both lacked. Luckily for you I don’t just do episodes on the competent Passed, there are plenty of interesting people on the list who just weren’t better than both the one they would replace and the one who replaced them (looking at you Louis, le grand Dauphin). It’s hard to imagine the pain that was felt in England and France when the Black Prince died, news travelled much slower then, but I don’t doubt it would have been like the death of Princess Diana. In the Black Prince’s case even those he fought mourned him. 

Next week I will be discussing the often forgotten second surviving son of Edward III, Lionel of Antwerp. In this episode I will also include discussion on Edward III will and how this would impact the War of the Roses and Richard II’s decisions on who his heir should be.